About the Program
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Rated one of the top 10 Bioengineering undergraduate programs in the country, Bioengineering at Berkeley is a multidisciplinary major intended for academically strong students who excel in the physical sciences, mathematics, and biology. Coursework provides a strong foundation in engineering and the biological sciences, with the freedom to explore a variety of topics and specialize in advanced areas of research. All students benefit from intensive group design work, either through a senior capstone project or through independent research in faculty laboratories. The major features small, specialized upper division courses, and direct interaction with faculty.
The stimulating environment of Berkeley offers a wealth of opportunity for learning, research, service, community involvement, and provides dedicated students the knowledge and skills to become the next leaders in bioengineering.
Course of Study Overview
The department offers one Bioengineering major, with several concentrations. For detailed descriptions of these concentrations, please see the department's website.
Admission to the Major
Prospective undergraduates of the College of Engineering will apply for admission to a specific program in the college. For further information, please see the College of Engineering's website.
Admission to engineering via a Change of College application for current UC Berkeley students is not guaranteed. For further information regarding a Change of College to Engineering, please see the college's website.
Minor Program
The department offers a minor in Bioengineering that is open to all students who are not majoring in bioengineering and who have completed the necessary prerequisites for the minor. For further information regarding the prerequisites, please see the Minor Requirements tab on this page.
Joint Major
The Department of Bioengineering also offers a joint major with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, for students who have an interest in the field of biomaterials. For further information regarding this program, please see the Bioengineering/Materials Science and Engineering joint major page in this Guide.
Major Requirements
In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.
General Guidelines
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All technical courses taken in satisfaction of major requirements must be taken for a letter grade.
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No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student’s major and minor programs.
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A minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required for all work undertaken at UC Berkeley.
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A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required for all technical courses taken in satisfaction of major requirements.
For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.
For a detailed plan of study by year and semester, please see the Plan of Study tab.
Students are advised to consult the approved concentrations to identify an appropriate course sequence for bioengineering specialty areas, and may also design their own program that meets with the below requirements with permission from their faculty adviser. Regular consultation with an adviser is strongly encouraged. Recommended courses for each concentration can be found on the department's website.
Summary of Major Requirements
The requirements for the Bioengineering Bachelor’s Degree is a minimum of 120 semester units and must include the following:
- A minimum of 24 total1 upper-division Bioengineering course units (including at least two bioengineering fundamentals courses, a bioengineering design course, and a bioengineering laboratory course)
- A minimum of 36 total1 upper-division units in technical topics courses
- A minimum of 48 total units in engineering courses2
- Six courses (of at least 3 units each) selected to meet the college’s current humanities and social sciences requirements
- One course with a substantial ethics component
- BioE 103, 11, 25, and 26
- Math 1A, 1B, 53, and 54
- Physics 7A and 7B
- Chem 1A & 1AL (or 4A), and 3A & 3AL (or 12A)
- E7 or CS 61A
Lower Division Requirements
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
BIO ENG 10 | Introduction to Biomedicine for Engineers (Junior transfers exempt from requirement) 3 | 4 |
BIO ENG 11 | Engineering Molecules 1 | 3 |
BIO ENG 25 | Careers in Biotechnology | 1 |
BIO ENG 26 | Introduction to Bioengineering | 1 |
MATH 1A | Calculus | 4 |
MATH 1B | Calculus | 4 |
MATH 53 | Multivariable Calculus | 4 |
MATH 54 | Linear Algebra and Differential Equations | 4 |
PHYSICS 7A | Physics for Scientists and Engineers | 4 |
PHYSICS 7B | Physics for Scientists and Engineers | 4 |
CHEM 1A & 1AL | General Chemistry and General Chemistry Laboratory | 4 |
or CHEM 4A | General Chemistry and Quantitative Analysis | |
CHEM 3A & 3AL | Chemical Structure and Reactivity and Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 5 |
or CHEM 12A | Organic Chemistry | |
ENGIN 7 | Introduction to Computer Programming for Scientists and Engineers | 4 |
or COMPSCI 61A | The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs |
1 | Not including BIO ENG 100, BIO ENG 198, BIO ENG 199, any other seminar-style courses or group meetings, or any course taken on a P/NP basis. Up to 4 units of letter-graded research (e.g., BIO ENG 196) can be included in the 24 units of upper-division Bioengineering courses. Up to 8 units of letter-graded research can be included in the 36 units of technical topics. |
2 | Not including any course taken on a P/NP basis; courses numbered 24, 39, 84; BIO ENG 100; COMPSCI 70, COMPSCI C79, COMPSCI 195, COMPSCI H195; DES INV courses (except DES INV 15, DES INV 22, DES INV 23, DES INV 90E, DES INV 190E); ENGIN 125, ENGIN 157AC, ENGIN 180, ENGIN 185, ENGIN 187; IND ENG 95, IND ENG 172, IND ENG 185, IND ENG 186, IND ENG 190 series, IND ENG 191, IND ENG 192, IND ENG 195; MEC ENG 191K. There is no limit to the number of letter-graded research units that can be applied to the 48 engineering units. |
3 | Juniors transfers are exempted from taking BioE 10. |
Upper Division Requirements
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
A total of 24 upper division Bioengineering units, including the following: 1 | 24 | |
Bioengineering Fundamentals: Choose two courses from list below. | ||
Bioengineering Lab Course: Choose one course from list below. | ||
Bioengineering Design Project or Research: Choose one course from list below. | ||
Technical Topics: a minimum of 36 total upper-division units from list below (includes 24 units of upper division Bioengineering courses). 1 | 36 | |
Ethics Requirement: Choose one course from list below. | 3-4 |
Bioengineering Fundamentals
Choose two courses from the following:
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
BIO ENG 101 | Instrumentation in Biology and Medicine | 4 |
BIO ENG 102 | Biomechanics: Analysis and Design | 4 |
BIO ENG 103 | Engineering Molecules 2 (Students will receive no credit for Bioengineering 103 after completing Chemistry 120B, Molecular Cell Biology C100A/Chemistry C130, or Physics 137) | 4 |
BIO ENG 104 | Biological Transport Phenomena | 4 |
BIO ENG 105 | Engineering Devices 1 | 4 |
BIO ENG 110 | Biomedical Physiology for Engineers | 4 |
BIO ENG 131 | Introduction to Computational Molecular and Cell Biology | 4 |
BIO ENG 144L | Protein Informatics Laboratory | 3 |
Bioengineering Lab
Choose one course from the following:
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
BIO ENG 101 | Instrumentation in Biology and Medicine | 4 |
BIO ENG 115 | Tissue Engineering Lab | 4 |
BIO ENG 121L | BioMems and BioNanotechnology Laboratory | 4 |
BIO ENG 131 | Introduction to Computational Molecular and Cell Biology | 4 |
BIO ENG C136L/EL ENG C145O/INTEGBI C135L | Laboratory in the Mechanics of Organisms | 3 |
BIO ENG 140L | Synthetic Biology Laboratory | 4 |
BIO ENG 144L | Protein Informatics Laboratory | 3 |
BIO ENG 163L | Molecular and Cellular Biophotonics Laboratory | 4 |
BIO ENG 168L | Practical Light Microscopy | 3 |
Technical Topics
Choose 36 upper division units from the following:
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
Any Bioengineering 100-level or 200-level class 1 | 3-4 | |
CHEM 120A | Physical Chemistry | 3 |
CHEM 120B | Physical Chemistry | 3 |
CHEM C130/MCELLBI C100A | Biophysical Chemistry: Physical Principles and the Molecules of Life 3 | 4 |
CHEM 135 | Chemical Biology | 3 |
CHEM/CHM ENG C170L | Biochemical Engineering Laboratory | 3 |
CHEM/CHM ENG C178 | Polymer Science and Technology | 3 |
CHEM/COMPSCI/PHYSICS C191 | Quantum Information Science and Technology | 3 |
CHM ENG 140 | Introduction to Chemical Process Analysis | 4 |
CHM ENG 141 | Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics | 4 |
CHM ENG 150A | Transport Processes | 4 |
CHM ENG 150B | Transport and Separation Processes | 4 |
CHM ENG 170A | Biochemical Engineering | 3 |
CHM ENG 170B | Biochemical Engineering | 3 |
CHM ENG/CHEM C170L | Biochemical Engineering Laboratory | 3 |
CHM ENG 171 | Transport Phenomena | 3 |
CHM ENG/CHEM C178 | Polymer Science and Technology | 3 |
COMPSCI 70 | Discrete Mathematics and Probability Theory 2 | 4 |
COMPSCI 160 | User Interface Design and Development | 4 |
COMPSCI 161 | Computer Security | 4 |
COMPSCI 169 | Software Engineering | 4 |
COMPSCI 170 | Efficient Algorithms and Intractable Problems | 4 |
COMPSCI 176 | Algorithms for Computational Biology | 4 |
COMPSCI 186 | Introduction to Database Systems | 4 |
COMPSCI 188 | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence | 4 |
COMPSCI 189 | Introduction to Machine Learning | 4 |
COMPSCI/CHEM/PHYSICS C191 | Quantum Information Science and Technology | 3 |
EECS 127 | Optimization Models in Engineering | 4 |
EECS 149 | Introduction to Embedded Systems | 4 |
EL ENG 105 | Microelectronic Devices and Circuits | 4 |
EL ENG 117 | Electromagnetic Fields and Waves | 4 |
EL ENG 118 | Introduction to Optical Engineering | 3 |
EL ENG 120 | Signals and Systems | 4 |
EL ENG 123 | Digital Signal Processing | 4 |
EL ENG 126 | Probability and Random Processes | 4 |
EL ENG C128/MEC ENG C134 | Feedback Control Systems | 4 |
EL ENG 142 | Integrated Circuits for Communications | 4 |
EL ENG 143 | Microfabrication Technology | 4 |
EL ENG 147 | Introduction to Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) | 3 |
EL ENG 192 | Mechatronic Design Laboratory | 4 |
ENGIN 40 | Engineering Thermodynamics | 4 |
INTEGBI 115 | Introduction to Systems in Biology and Medicine | 4 |
INTEGBI 127L | Motor Control with Laboratory | 3 |
INTEGBI 131 | General Human Anatomy | 3 |
INTEGBI 132 | Survey of Human Physiology | 4 |
INTEGBI 135 | The Mechanics of Organisms | 4 |
INTEGBI 148 | Comparative Animal Physiology | 3 |
INTEGBI 161 | Population and Evolutionary Genetics | 4 |
INTEGBI 163 | Molecular and Genomic Evolution | 3 |
INTEGBI 164 | Human Genetics and Genomics | 4 |
IND ENG 160 | Nonlinear and Discrete Optimization | 3 |
IND ENG 162 | Linear Programming and Network Flows | 3 |
IND ENG 172 | Probability and Risk Analysis for Engineers | 3 |
MAT SCI 102 | Bonding, Crystallography, and Crystal Defects | 3 |
MATH 110 | Linear Algebra | 4 |
MATH 118 | Fourier Analysis, Wavelets, and Signal Processing | 4 |
MATH 127 | Mathematical and Computational Methods in Molecular Biology | 4 |
MATH 128A | Numerical Analysis | 4 |
MATH 170 | Mathematical Methods for Optimization | 4 |
MCELLBI C100A/CHEM C130 | Biophysical Chemistry: Physical Principles and the Molecules of Life (Students should take BioE 103 instead of MCB C100A, credit applied for those who have already taken C100A before F17) 3 | 4 |
MCELLBI 100B | Biochemistry: Pathways, Mechanisms, and Regulation | 4 |
MCELLBI 102 | Survey of the Principles of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | 4 |
MCELLBI 110 | Molecular Biology: Macromolecular Synthesis and Cellular Function | 4 |
MCELLBI/PLANTBI C112 | General Microbiology | 4 |
MCELLBI 130 | Cell and Systems Biology | 4 |
MCELLBI 132 | Biology of Human Cancer | 4 |
MCELLBI 133L | Physiology and Cell Biology Laboratory | 4 |
MCELLBI 136 | Physiology | 4 |
MCELLBI 140 | General Genetics | 4 |
MCELLBI 140L | Genetics Laboratory | 4 |
MCELLBI/PLANTBI C148 | Microbial Genomics and Genetics | 4 |
MCELLBI 150 | Molecular Immunology | 4 |
MCELLBI 160L | Neurobiology Laboratory | 4 |
MCELLBI 166 | Biophysical Neurobiology | 3 |
MEC ENG 102B | Mechatronics Design | 4 |
MEC ENG 104 | Engineering Mechanics II | 3 |
MEC ENG 106 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
MEC ENG 109 | Heat Transfer | 3 |
MEC ENG 118 | Introduction to Nanotechnology and Nanoscience | 3 |
MEC ENG 119 | Introduction to MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems) | 3 |
MEC ENG 132 | Dynamic Systems and Feedback | 3 |
MEC ENG 133 | Mechanical Vibrations | 3 |
MEC ENG C134/EL ENG C128 | Feedback Control Systems | 4 |
MEC ENG 167 | Microscale Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
MEC ENG 185 | Introduction to Continuum Mechanics | 3 |
MAT SCI 103 | Phase Transformations and Kinetics | 3 |
MAT SCI 104 | Materials Characterization | 4 |
MAT SCI 111 | Properties of Electronic Materials | 4 |
MAT SCI 112 | Corrosion (Chemical Properties) | 3 |
MAT SCI 113 | Mechanical Behavior of Engineering Materials | 3 |
MAT SCI 130 | Experimental Materials Science and Design | 3 |
MAT SCI 151 | Polymeric Materials | 3 |
NUC ENG 101 | Nuclear Reactions and Radiation | 4 |
NUC ENG 107 | Introduction to Imaging | 3 |
NUC ENG 162 | Radiation Biophysics and Dosimetry | 3 |
PHYSICS 110A | Electromagnetism and Optics | 4 |
PHYSICS 112 | Introduction to Statistical and Thermal Physics | 4 |
PHYSICS 137A | Quantum Mechanics | 4 |
PHYSICS 177 | Principles of Molecular Biophysics | 3 |
PHYSICS/CHEM/COMPSCI C191 | Quantum Information Science and Technology | 3 |
PLANTBI/MCELLBI C112 | General Microbiology | 4 |
PLANTBI/MCELLBI C148 | Microbial Genomics and Genetics | 4 |
PLANTBI 185 | Techniques in Light Microscopy | 3 |
STAT 133 | Concepts in Computing with Data | 3 |
STAT 134 | Concepts of Probability | 4 |
STAT 135 | Concepts of Statistics | 4 |
STAT 150 | Stochastic Processes | 3 |
1 | Not including BIO ENG 100, BIO ENG 198, BIO ENG 199, any other seminar-style courses or group meetings, or any course taken on a P/NP basis. Up to 4 units of letter-graded research (e.g., BIO ENG 196) can be included in the 24 units of upper-division Bioengineering courses. Up to 8 units of letter-graded research can be included in the 36 units of technical topics. |
2 | COMPSCI 70 will not count towards the required 48 Engineering units. |
3 | Students should take BIO ENG 103 instead of MCELLBI C100A. Credit applied for those who have already taken MCELLBI C100A before Fall 2017. |
Bioengineering Design Project or Research
Choose one course from the following:
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
BIO ENG 101 | Instrumentation in Biology and Medicine | 4 |
BIO ENG 121L | BioMems and BioNanotechnology Laboratory | 4 |
BIO ENG 140L | Synthetic Biology Laboratory | 4 |
BIO ENG 145 | Intro to Machine Learning in Computational Biology | 4 |
BIO ENG 168L | Practical Light Microscopy | 3 |
BIO ENG 192 | Senior Design Projects | 4 |
BIO ENG H194 | Honors Undergraduate Research | 3-4 |
BIO ENG 196 | Undergraduate Design Research | 4 |
Ethics
All Ethics courses of 3 units or more fulfill one Humanities/Social Sciences requirement.
Choose one course from the following:
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
BIO ENG 100 | Ethics in Science and Engineering (Recommended.) | 3 |
ENGIN 125 | Ethics, Engineering, and Society | 3 |
ENGIN/IAS 157AC | Engineering, The Environment, and Society | 4 |
ESPM 161 | Environmental Philosophy and Ethics | 4 |
ESPM 162 | Bioethics and Society | 4 |
HISTORY C182C/ISF C100G/STS C100 | Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society | 4 |
IAS/ENGIN 157AC | Engineering, The Environment, and Society | 4 |
ISF C100G/HISTORY C182C/STS C100 | Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society | 4 |
L & S 160B | Effective Personal Ethics for the Twenty-First Century | 3 |
PHILOS 104 | Ethical Theories | 4 |
PHILOS 107 | Moral Psychology | 4 |
STS C100/HISTORY C182C/ISF C100G | Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society | 4 |
Minor Requirements
Minor programs are areas of concentration requiring fewer courses than an undergraduate major. These programs are optional but can provide depth and breadth to a UC Berkeley education. The College of Engineering does not offer additional time to complete a minor, but it is usually possible to finish within the allotted time with careful course planning. Students are encouraged to meet with their ESS adviser to discuss the feasibility of completing a minor program.
All the engineering departments offer minors. Students may also consider pursuing a minor in another school or college.
Applicants can apply after second semester sophomore year and up to first semester senior year. Applicants who have completed all of the courses prior to applying will not be accepted into the minor; students must apply first.
General Guidelines
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All minors must be declared no later than one semester before a student's Expected Graduation Term (EGT). If the semester before EGT is fall or spring, the deadline is the last day of RRR week. If the semester before EGT is summer, the deadline is the final Friday of Summer Sessions. To declare a minor, contact the department advisor for information on requirements, and the declaration process.
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All courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements must be taken for graded credit.
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A minimum technical grade point average of 3.0 (math, science & engineering courses) is required for acceptance into the minor program.
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A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required for courses used to fulfill the minor requirements.
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No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student’s major and minor programs.
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Completion of the minor program cannot delay a student’s graduation.
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Please see more details at the department website.
Procedure
- Students should apply first, before taking courses. Applications are available in 306 Stanley Hall or on the department website. Completed applications should be returned to 306 Stanley Hall. Please include an unofficial copy of your transcript with the application.
- The department will approve or deny the application. If approved, the department will contact the student via email advising of the decision.
- Upon completion of the requirements for the minor, the student should complete the Confirmation of Completion form. Please submit the form along with an unofficial transcript to 306 Stanley Hall.
- The department will verify the completion of the minor and send the original form to the Office of the Registrar. (Note: for graduating seniors, this must be done no later than two weeks after the end of the term.)
- A notation in the memorandum section of the student’s transcript will indicate completion of the minor.
Recommended Preparation
The upper division requirements for the BioE minor require competency in subject matters covered in the following recommended courses.
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
CHEM 3A | Chemical Structure and Reactivity | 3 |
MATH 53 | Multivariable Calculus | 4 |
MATH 54 | Linear Algebra and Differential Equations | 4 |
PHYSICS 7A | Physics for Scientists and Engineers 1 | 4 |
PHYSICS 7B | Physics for Scientists and Engineers 1 | 4 |
1 | Students who have already taken PHYSICS 8A and PHYSICS 8B may substitute them for these courses. |
Upper Division Minor Requirements
- One course from the BioE Fundamentals List
- Two upper division courses from the Technical Topics List
- Two upper division bioengineering courses.
College Requirements
Students in the College of Engineering must complete no fewer than 120 semester units with the following provisions:
- Completion of the requirements of one engineering major program study.
- A minimum overall grade point average of 2.00 (C average) and a minimum 2.00 grade point average in upper division technical coursework required of the major.
- The final 30 units and two semesters must be completed in residence in the College of Engineering on the Berkeley campus.
- All technical courses (math, science and engineering) that can fulfill requirements for the student's major must be taken on a letter graded basis (unless they are only offered P/NP).
- Entering freshmen are allowed a maximum of eight semesters to complete their degree requirements. Entering junior transfers are allowed a maximum of four semesters to complete their degree requirements. (Note: junior transfers admitted missing three or more courses from the lower division curriculum are allowed five semesters.) Summer terms are optional and do not count toward the maximum. Students are responsible for planning and satisfactorily completing all graduation requirements within the maximum allowable semesters.
- Adhere to all college policies and procedures as they complete degree requirements.
- Complete the lower division program before enrolling in upper division engineering courses.
Humanities and Social Sciences (H/SS) Requirement
To promote a rich and varied educational experience outside of the technical requirements for each major, the College of Engineering has a six-course Humanities and Social Sciences breadth requirement, which must be completed to graduate. This requirement, built into all the engineering programs of study, includes two reading and composition courses (R&C), and four additional courses within which a number of specific conditions must be satisfied. Follow these guidelines to fulfill this requirement:
- Complete a minimum of six courses from the approved Humanities/Social Sciences (H/SS) lists.
- Courses must be a minimum of 3 semester units (or 4 quarter units).
- Two of the six courses must fulfill the College's Reading and Composition (R&C) requirement. These courses must be taken for a letter grade (C- or better required). The first half (R&C Part A) must be completed by the end of the freshman year; the second half (R&C Part B) must be completed by no later than the end of the sophomore year. Please see the Reading and Composition Requirement page for a complete list of R&Cs available and a list of exams that can be applied toward the R&C Part A requirement. Students can also use the Class Schedule to view R&C courses offered in a given semester. Note: Only R&C Part A can be fulfilled with an AP, IB, or A-Level exam score. Test scores do not fulfill R&C Part B for College of Engineering students.
- The four additional courses must be chosen from the five areas listed in #13 below. These four courses may be taken on a pass/no pass basis.
- Special topics courses of 3 semester units or more will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
- Two of the six courses must be upper division (courses numbered 100-196).
- One of the six courses must satisfy the campus American Cultures (AC) requirement. Note that any American Cultures course of 3 units or more may be used to meet H/SS
- A maximum of two exams (Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or A-Level) may be used toward completion of the H/SS requirement. View the list of exams that can be applied toward H/SS requirements.
- No courses offered by any engineering department other than BIO ENG 100, COMPSCI C79, ENGIN 125, ENGIN 157AC, ENGIN 185, and MEC ENG 191K may be used to complete H/SS requirements.
- Language courses may be used to complete H/SS requirements. View the list of language options.
- Courses may fulfill multiple categories. For example, CY PLAN 118AC satisfies both the American Cultures requirement and one upper division H/SS requirement.
- Courses numbered 97, 98, 99, or above 196 may not be used to complete any H/SS requirement.
- The College of Engineering uses modified versions of five of the College of Letters and Science (L&S) breadth requirements lists to provide options to our students for completing the H/SS requirement. The five areas are:
- Arts and Literature
- Historical Studies
- International Studies
- Philosophy and Values
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
Within the guidelines above, choose courses from any of the Breadth areas listed above. (Please note that you cannot use courses on the Biological Science or Physical Science Breadth list to complete the H/SS requirement.) To find course options, go to the Class Schedule, select the term of interest, and use the Breadth Requirements filter.
Class Schedule Requirements
- Minimum units per semester: 12.0
- Maximum units per semester: 20.5
- Minimum technical courses: College of Engineering undergraduates must enroll each semester in no fewer than two technical courses (of a minimum of 3 units each, with the exception of Engineering 25, 26 and 27) required of the major program of study in which the student is officially declared. (Note: For most majors, normal progress will require enrolling in 3-4 technical courses each semester). Students who are not in compliance with this policy by the end of the fifth week of the semester are subject to a registration block that will delay enrollment for the following semester.
- All technical courses (math, science, engineering) that satisfy requirements for the major must be taken on a letter-graded basis (unless only offered as P/NP).
Minimum Academic (Grade) Requirements
- A minimum overall and semester grade point average of 2.00 (C average) is required of engineering undergraduates. Students will be subject to dismissal from the University if during any fall or spring semester their overall UC GPA falls below a 2.00, or their semester GPA is less than 2.00.
- Students must achieve a minimum grade point average of 2.00 (C average) in upper division technical courses required for the major curriculum each semester.
- A minimum overall grade point average of 2.00, and a minimum 2.00 grade point average in upper division technical course work required for the major is needed to earn a Bachelor of Science in Engineering.
Unit Requirements
To earn a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, students must complete at least 120 semester units of courses subject to certain guidelines:
- Completion of the requirements of one engineering major program of study.
- A maximum of 16 units of special studies coursework (courses numbered 97, 98, 99, 197, 198, or 199) is allowed towards B.S. degree, and no more than 4 units in any single term can be counteds.
- A maximum of 4 units of physical education from any school attended will count towards the 120 units.
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Passed (P) grades may account for no more than one third of the total units completed at UC Berkeley, Fall Program for Freshmen (FPF), UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP), or UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC) toward the 120 overall minimum unit requirement. Transfer credit is not factored into the limit. This includes transfer units from outside of the UC system, other UC campuses, credit-bearing exams, as well as UC Berkeley Extension XB units.
Normal Progress
Students in the College of Engineering must enroll in a full-time program and make normal progress each semester toward the bachelor's degree. The continued enrollment of students who fail to achieve minimum academic progress shall be subject to the approval of the dean. (Note: Students with official accommodations established by the Disabled Students' Program, with health or family issues, or with other reasons deemed appropriate by the dean may petition for an exception to normal progress rules.)
UC and Campus Requirements
University of California Requirements
All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing Requirement. Satisfaction of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all Reading and Composition courses at UC Berkeley.
American History and American Institutions
The American History and Institutions requirements are based on the principle that a U.S. resident graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.
Campus Requirement
The American Cultures requirement is a Berkeley campus requirement, one that all undergraduate students at Berkeley need to pass in order to graduate. You satisfy the requirement by passing, with a grade not lower than C- or P, an American Cultures course. You may take an American Cultures course any time during your undergraduate career at Berkeley. The requirement was instituted in 1991 to introduce students to the diverse cultures of the United States through a comparative framework. Courses are offered in more than fifty departments in many different disciplines at both the lower and upper division level.
The American Cultures requirement and courses constitute an approach that responds directly to the problem encountered in numerous disciplines of how better to present the diversity of American experience to the diversity of American students whom we now educate.
Faculty members from many departments teach American Cultures courses, but all courses have a common framework. The courses focus on themes or issues in United States history, society, or culture; address theoretical or analytical issues relevant to understanding race, culture, and ethnicity in American society; take substantial account of groups drawn from at least three of the following: African Americans, indigenous peoples of the United States, Asian Americans, Chicano/Latino Americans, and European Americans; and are integrative and comparative in that students study each group in the larger context of American society, history, or culture.
This is not an ethnic studies requirement, nor a Third World cultures requirement, nor an adjusted Western civilization requirement. These courses focus upon how the diversity of America's constituent cultural traditions have shaped and continue to shape American identity and experience.
Visit the Class Schedule or the American Cultures website for the specific American Cultures courses offered each semester. For a complete list of approved American Cultures courses at UC Berkeley and California Community Colleges, please see the American Cultures Subcommittee’s website. See your academic adviser if you have questions about your responsibility to satisfy the American Cultures breadth requirement.
Plan of Study
For more detailed information regarding the courses listed below (e.g., elective information, GPA requirements, etc.), please see the College Requirements and Major Requirements tabs.
Freshman | |||
---|---|---|---|
Fall | Units | Spring | Units |
MATH 1A | 4 | MATH 1B | 4 |
BIO ENG 101 | 4 | PHYSICS 7A (taken Sophomore year in Synthetic Biology concentration) | 4 |
CHEM 1A & 1AL | 4 | CHEM 3A & 3AL | 5 |
BIO ENG 26 | 1 | BIO ENG 25 | 1 |
Reading & Composition Part A Course2 | 4 | Reading and Composition Part B Course2 | 4 |
17 | 18 | ||
Sophomore | |||
Fall | Units | Spring | Units |
MATH 53 | 4 | BIO ENG 11 | 3 |
PHYSICS 7B | 4 | MATH 54 | 4 |
ENGIN 7 or COMPSCI 61A | 4 | Humanities/Social Sciences course2 | 3-4 |
Humanities/Social Sciences course2 | 3-4 | Varies by concentration4 | 3 |
15-16 | 13-14 | ||
Junior | |||
Fall | Units | Spring | Units |
Varies by concentration4 | 12 | Varies by concentration4 | 12 |
BIO ENG 100 (or Humanities/Social Sciences course with Ethics content)2,3 | 3 | Humanities/Social Sciences course2 | 3 |
15 | 15 | ||
Senior | |||
Fall | Units | Spring | Units |
Varies by concentration4 | 15 | Varies by concentration4 | 12 |
15 | 12 | ||
Total Units: 120-122 |
1 | Junior transfer admits are exempt from completing BIO ENG 10. |
2 | The Humanities/Social Sciences (H/SS) requirement includes two approved Reading & Composition (R&C) courses and four additional approved courses, with which a number of specific conditions must be satisfied. R&C courses must be taken for a letter grade (C- or better required). The first half (R&C Part A) must be completed by the end of the freshman year; the second half (R&C Part B) must be completed by no later than the end of the sophomore year. The remaining courses may be taken at any time during the program. See engineering.berkeley.edu/hss for complete details and a list of approved courses. |
3 | Students must take one course with ethics content. This may be fulfilled within the Humanities/Social Sciences requirement by taking one of the following courses: BIO ENG 100, ENGIN 125, ENGIN 157AC/IAS 157AC, ESPM 161, ESPM 162, HISTORY C182C, L & S 160B, PHILOS 104, PHILOS 107. |
4 | Please see concentration-specific grids at http://bioeng.berkeley.edu/undergrad/program/concentrations |
Student Learning Goals
Mission
Since our founding in 1998, the BioE faculty have been working to create an integrated, comprehensive program. Much thought has been put into the question, “What does every bioengineer need to know?” The faculty have been engaged in considerable dialogue over the years about what needs to be included, in what order, and how to do so in a reasonable time frame. Balancing depth with breadth has been the key challenge, and we have reached a point where the pieces have come together to form a coherent bioengineering discipline.
Learning Goals for the Major
- Describe the fundamental principles and methods of engineering.
- Understand the physical, chemical, and mathematical basis of biology.
- Appreciate the different scales of biological systems.
- Apply the physical sciences and mathematics in an engineering approach to biological systems.
- Effectively communicate scientific and engineering data and ideas, both orally and in writing.
- Demonstrate the values of cooperation, teamwork, social responsibility, and lifelong learning necessary for success in the field.
- Design a bioengineering solution to a problem of technical, scientific. or societal importance.
- Demonstrate advanced knowledge in a specialized field of bioengineering.
Advising
Bioengineering provides an array of programmatic and individual advising services. Each student is strongly encouraged to consult with a faculty advisor each semester. Our dedicated Bioengineering undergraduate affairs officer is available through appointments or drop-in times to consult on topics such as course selection, degree requirements, concentration selection, and achieving personal and academic goals. Further advising support is available from staff in the Engineering Student Services Office.
Please see more information on advising on the department website.
Advising Staff and Hours
Undergraduate Advisor:
Marisela Loza
Phone: 510-642-5860
mariselal@berkeley.edu
306C Stanley Hall
Academic Opportunities
Undergraduate Research
We believe it is essential for undergraduates to experience the hands-on application of skills to prepare them for a career in bioengineering. Every student is required to complete at least one semester of research or design before graduation, although most do more. This can be accomplished through our outstanding senior capstone design course, or through other independent study options and research in faculty laboratories. A recent survey shows that 94% of our senior students have undertaken extracurricular research, usually starting in their sophomore year. For research resources, please visit the department website.
Student Organizations
There are several active student organizations related to bioengineering, focusing on academics, research, global healthcare, local outreach, social life, career planning, and other worthy efforts. For further information, please see the Student Life page on the department website.
Faculty and Instructors
+ Indicates this faculty member is the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award.
Emeritus Faculty
Boris Rubinsky, Professor Emeritus. Medical imaging, biotechnology, biomedical engineering, low temperature biology, micro and nano bionic technologies, electrical impedance tomography, bio-electronics, biomedical devices biomedical numerical analysis, bio-heat and mass transfer, electroporation light imaging.
Research Profile
Matthew Tirrell, Professor Emeritus. Self-assembled structures for diagnostic and therapeutic applications, electrostatic self-assembly.
Research Profile
Chris Anderson, Associate Professor. Synthetic biology.
Research Profile
Adam Arkin, Professor. Systems and synthetic biology, environmental microbiology of bacteria and viruses, bioenergy, biomedicine, bioremediation.
Research Profile
James Casey, Professor. Continuum mechanics, finite elasticity, continuum thermodynamics, plasticity, theories of elastic-plastic materials, history of mechanics, dynamics.
Research Profile
Irina M. Conboy, Professor. Stem cell niche engineering, tissue repair, stem cell aging and rejuvenation.
Research Profile
Steven Conolly, Professor. Instrumentation, medical imaging reconstruction, contrast, MRI, Magnetic Particle Imaging.
Research Profile
John Dueber, Associate Professor. Synthetic biology, Metabolic Engineering.
Research Profile
Daniel Fletcher, Professor. Bioengineering, optical and force microscopy, microfabrication, biophysics, mechanical properties of cells.
Research Profile
Teresa Head-Gordon, Professor. Computational chemistry, biophysics, bioengineering, biomolecules, materials, catalysis, computational science.
Research Profile
Amy Herr, Professor. Microfluidics, bioanalytical separations, diagnostics, electrokinetic transport, engineering design.
Research Profile
Ian Holmes, Professor. Computational biology.
Research Profile
Richard Karp, Professor. Computational molecular biology, genomics, DNA molecules, structure of genetic regulatory networks, combinatorial and statsitical methods.
Research Profile
Jay Keasling, Professor.
Tony M. Keaveny, Professor. Biomechanics of bone, orthopaedic biomechanics, design of artificial joints, osteoporosis, finite element modeling, clinical biomechanics.
Research Profile
Sanjay Kumar, Professor. Biomaterials, molecular and cellular bioengineering, stem cells, cancer biology, translational medicine.
Research Profile
Liana Lareau, Assistant Professor. Computational biology, molecular biology.
Research Profile
Luke Lee, Professor. Biophotonics, biophysics, bionanoscience, molecular imaging, single cell analysis, bio-nano interfaces, integrated microfluidic devices (iMD) for diagnostics and preventive personalized medicine.
Research Profile
Seung-Wuk Lee, Professor. Nanotechnology, bio-inspired nanomaterials, synthetic viruses, regenerative tissue engineering materials, drug delivery vehicles.
Research Profile
Dorian Liepmann, Professor. Bioengineering, mechanical engineering, bioMEMS, biosensors, microfluid dynamics, experimental biofluid dynamics, hemodynamics, valvular heart disease, cardiac flows, arterial flows.
Research Profile
Gerard Marriott, Professor.
Phillip Messersmith, Professor. Biomaterials, adhesion, polymers, self-assembly, biomimetics, biomedical devices.
Research Profile
Mohammad Mofrad, Professor. Nuclear pore complex and nucleocytoplasmic transport, mechanobiology of disease, cellular mechanotransduction, integrin-mediated focal adhesions.
Research Profile
Niren Murthy, Professor.
Lisa Pruitt, Professor. Tissue biomechanics, biomaterial science, fatigue and fracture micromechanisms, orthopedic polymers for total joint replacement, synthetic cartilage.
Research Profile
Shankar Sastry, Professor. Embedded and cyberphysical systems, artificial intelligence, ar/vr, computer science, robotics, arial robots, cybersecurity, cyber defense, homeland defense, nonholonomic systems, control of hybrid systems, sensor networks, interactive visualization, robotic telesurgery, rapid prototyping.
Research Profile
David Schaffer, Professor. Neuroscience, biomolecular engineering, bioengineering, stem cell biology, gene therapy.
Research Profile
Aaron Streets, Assistant Professor. Biological systems, microfluidics, microscopy, genomics.
Research Profile
Moriel Vandsburger, Assistant Professor. Bioengineering, molecular MRI, MRI.
Research Profile
Michael Yartsev, Assistant Professor. Neuroscience, engineering.
Research Profile
Emeritus Faculty
Thomas F. Budinger, Professor Emeritus. Image processing, biomedical electronics, quantitative aging, cardiovascular physiology, bioastronautics, image reconstruction, nuclear magnetic resonance, positron emission, tomography, reconstruction tomography, inverse problem mathematics.
Research Profile
Kimmen Sjolander, Professor Emeritus. Computational biology, algorithms, phylogenetic tree reconstruction, protein structure prediction, multiple sequence alignment, evolution, bioinformatics, hidden Markov models, metagenomics, statistical modeling, phylogenomics, emerging and neglected diseases, machine-learning, genome annotation, metagenome annotation, systems biology, functional site prediction, ortholog identification.
Research Profile
Contact Information
Department of Bionegineering
306 Stanley Hall
MC 1762
Phone: 510-642-5833
Fax: 510-642-5835
Academic Undergraduate Student Adviser
Marisela Loza
306C Stanley Hall
Phone: 510-642-5860
College of Engineering Student Services
Advising
230 Bechtel Engineering Center
Phone: 510-642-7594
Fax: 510-643-8653